Track-paving block



y E. A. BYRNE.

TRACK PAVING BLOCK. APPLICATION FILED FEB, 16, 1920.v

' Patented'Apr. 11, 192 2.

2 Afforne y E. A. BYRNE.

TRACK PAVING BLOCK. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15 920.

1,4 1 2,504. Patented Apr. 11, 1922 4 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD A. BYRNE, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

TRACK-PAVING- BLOCK.

Application filed February 16, 1920. Serial No. 358,890.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD ,A. BYRNE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track-Paving Blocks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in pavements for roadways on streets, highways, bridges, viaducts and tunnels, and its object is, to provide a new and efficient pavement in the form of interchangeable blocks, for those parts of a roadway, which are exposed to especially severe use by the traffic thereon and generally wear out faster than the other parts of the pavement onthe same roadway. .It'is a further object of the invention to provide an improved pavement, which can easily be laid and renewed between the ordinarily used standard paving blocks, without interference with their arrangement. It is a further object of the invention to provide means to concentrate the traflic on a roadway along certain pre-' determined lines, which are made specially suitable for-such traffic, by a new form and a particular construction of paving blocks.v

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrangements of parts and method of construction hereinafter described and finally pointed out in the claims.

Reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of these 'specifications in which:[ 7

Fig. I is a sectional, perspective view of a roadway equipped with the improved pavement.

Fig. II is a perspective view of a single paving block, ready to be laid into the pavement of a roadway.

Fig. III is a perspective view of the skeleton frame of a paving block before its interior is filled. I Fig. IV is a sectional elevation of a paving block on the plane indicated by the lines AA of Fig. II.

Fig. V is a perspective view of a roadway equipped with a special form of the new paving blocks, to produce a track in thepavement of a roadway.

Fig. VI is a perspective view o-f'one of the blocks required. to form the pavement shown by Fig. V.

Fig. VII is a perspective view of the second block required to form the pavement shown by Fig. V.

Fig.. VIII is a perspective view of the skeleton frame of the companion-block to the one shown in Fig. VII.

Similar characters of reference signify corresponding parts throughout the various views.

' Referring to Fig. I of the drawings, 1 designates the curbstone of a roadway and 2-3 a series of artificial paving blocks alternating with each other, laid to form a continuous row, close to said curbstone and an intermittent row a short distance away from said curbstone 1 and, parallel to the same. The interstices between the blocks 2 are occupied by paving blocks of any suitable kind 7 as wood, stone or brick. I also shows a tramrail 4 laid in the same roadway and paving blocks 2-3 arranged in rows on either side of said rail in the same manner as described above, with the exception that in the same transverse row, opposite ablock 2 at the curb a block 3 is placed adjacent to therail/L to make the intervening blocks 7 break bond properly with thesurrounding pavement, for which purpose the blocks 2 are of about one half the length of blocks 3'. Either one of the paving blocks 2 and 3 consists of a skeleton frame, of which one to make a block 3, is shownin Fig. II'I, preferably made of a single steel casting, having a rectangular bottom frame formed by horizontal bars 'a and b which rest ,on the underflooring,

and a number of vertical posts a at the corners and other points where the loads are concentrated. These posts carry the horizontal grating d integrally connected thereto at their upper ends, which is provided with a plurality of elongated apertures e and forms the running surface of the block for the traffic thereon. The interior space of this skeleton frame is completely filled, preferably with cement concrete 7, but "the aperare similar in construction to the blocks 2 and 3, differing in length from each other to properly interlock with the adjacent pavement. The grating d of the blocks 5 forms a curved surface al along one of the shorter edges of the block, which is to be laid in longitudinal direction of the roadway; and the grating of the block 6 is provided with a curved depression 0Z along the short horizontal center line of the running face of the block. As it is preferable for these blocks to have a smooth running surface on their curved parts, only the end openings of the grating d are filled with an abrasive mixture which protrudes at 9 above the surface of the grating (Z while the apertures of the curved parts 6 and e are filled with ordinary concrete to provide a smooth surface.

By the arrangement of the paving blocks 5 and 6 in alternate rows,breaking bond with each other and with the blocks 7 of the surrounding pavement in the manner shown in 'Fig. V, continuous depressions, serving as rails, are formed in the roadway. The blocks 6, provided with the rail-groove along their center, extend a short distance on either side of the same into the surrounding pavement, while two of the blocks 5 form a joint at the center line of the rail-groove and, extend on either sideof the same for a longer distance into the surrounding pavement. WVhile paving blocks of the new shapes shown in Figs. V to VIII may be made of any suitable material, as stone, wood, brick etc. and serve the purposes hereinafter enumerated, to a limited extent, my

'experienece with blocks of the particular construction shown in these figures roves their superiority in many respects. Ieavy traflic, especially on narrow roadways, particularly on bridges, 'viaducts etc. wears out the paving blocks near the curb and the tram rails, where it concentrates, much faster than on other parts of the roadway and necessitates frequent renewals; the blocks 2 and 3 are intended to reduce these renewals to a minimum by their greater durability and sustaining power; their rough surface provides, especially on grades, the desired grip for the tires of vehicles which can not be maintained for a long time on all-metal surfaces. The track construction by means of blocks 5 and 6 is particularly useful on roadways to keep the traffic of vehicles on predetermined lines to avoid interferences with each other, and thereby delays; another advantage is, that in case the heavy loads canbe concentrated on such lines. special provision to support them properly may be made in the design of the under-flooring and supporting members of bridges and viaducts with a resulting decrease of vibrations and longer life of the structure. As a smooth 'runway provided by the track grooves of Fig. V induces "the drivers to hold their vehicles on these tracks and away from the-rough pavement formed by. the projections 9 adjacent thereto, the traffic flows almost entirely along 'these tracks. The wear of the softer pavement on the other parts of the roadway is considerably reduced in this manner and while blocks of the improved design have rarely to be replaced, repairs can be executed with great facility by replacing single, worn blocks. The loads on blocks of the improved design are almost entirely carried by the steel grating and from this, transferred through the posts to the base-frame and underflooring, which relieves the concrete filler and effects a corresponding decrease of its disintegration, as that part of the load which is sustained by the concrete is uniformly distributed by the grating. It is another advantage of these blocks, that they can be utilized for replacing ordinary paving blocks in places of excessive wear without disturbing more than is absolutely necessary, of the surrounding blocks. A particular use of the track-paving blocks can be found in connection with the so called trackless trolley vehicles, which use two overhead trolley wires and have no ground return for the electric current. Such vehicles will ordinarily be guided by the groove in the pavement, but may, by their construction switch out of the same when required.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a paving block, consisting of a skeleton frame, of horizontal and vertical bars, embracing a; mass of plastic material, a grating forming the carrying surface of said block, apertures in said grating. and a mass of abrasive material filling said apertures and slightly protruding above the surface of the grating to provide raised antislipping ridges, leaving the grating exposed therebetween.

2. In a paving block, an open sided skeleton frame, forming independent means to transfer the loads carried on said block to top frame, vertical bars connecting the top frame and said base frame, both said frames consisting of horizontal bars joined at their ends, forming a part of theouter surface of the block and its horizontal edges, and a grating consisting of spaced beams connected at their ends to said top frame.

4. In a paving block, an angular metallic frame providing a base plane on said block and a part of its vertical sides and forming independent means to transfer the load carried by said block to the surface under the same, a plurality of spaced vertical bars rising from the corners of the base frame and forming. the vertical edges of said block, and an upper grating supported on said vertical bars provided wlth spaced apertures distributed in a plurality of rows over the surface of said block.

5. In a pavement for highways, a continuous row of paving blocks, each having a metallic frame, provided with a groove in itsiload-carrying surface, said grooves providing means to form a continuous track in said highway, when laid in alinement with each other and a substantially flat portion of different length on alternate blocks extending transversely into the surrounding pavement to form a bond with the same.

6., In a pavement for highways a series of paving blocks laid longitudinally thereof, each of said blocks being provided with a depression in its load-carrying surface, and I an extension transversely of said depression of different length on alternate blocks, protruding into the surrounding pavement, said depressions forming a continuous track in saig highway when said blocks are assemble.

7. In a pavement for highways a series of paving blocks laid longitudinally thereof, each block having a depression in its loadcarrying surface, to form when assembled a track in said highway, said depression extending alternately across the center of the block of one transverse row and along the edges of two blocks in the adjacent transverse row.

8. In a pavement for highways a set of three paving blocks adapted to be assembled adjacent to each other in two transverse rows of paving blocks. One of said blocks being provided with a depression along its center line and the other two blocks with depressions along their adjacent edges, to form a track in said highway, when said depressions are placed in alinement. Y 9. In a highway a track formed by means of paving blocks, laid in a continuous row,

alternate blocks in said row having a groove of'full width extending along their center lines and the intervening blocks, joined at the center line of said track, being provided with a depression along their adjoining edges, to form the continuation of said track.

10. A pair of paving blocks adapted tobe assembled in a transveiserow of a highway, each block consisting of a pluralityof vertical rods, a series of horizontal bars forming a grating supportedby said rods, said grating having a depression along one edge of each block to form a track groove with the corresponding depression of the adjoining block when assembled.

11. A pair of paving blocks adapted to be on said load carrying surface extending,

from said depression in longitudinal direction of said block.

EDWARD A. BYRNE. 

